WACO — Wendy Lomers watches in wonder every time her son, Baylor 7-foot center Josh Lomers, hustles up and down a basketball court. She considers each trip a victory — no matter the game’s outcome.

A horrifying instant when you believe your young son is dying will bring such appreciation.

“I thought we had lost him,” Wendy said of the time Josh, then 7 years old, collapsed on a hill and curled into a fetal position in the family’s backyard in Boerne.

“It was scary – just unbelievable that would happen,” Wendy said. “We carried him straight to the hospital.”

Josh remembers the moment, especially the panicked faces of perplexed family members trying to help the fallen boy.

“No one knew what was going on,” he said. “Everybody was freaking out.”

Safe at the hospital, Josh was diagnosed with asthma, and for the next four years he gave up the one sport he truly loved. One the oh-so-tall youngster sat by and helplessly watched his older sister, Erin, play.

“I just loved basketball,” he said.

Josh never lost hope, however, that one day he’d play the sport competitively, and in the sixth grade he responded well enough to asthma medication that he was back on the court. The memory still causes his mother’s voice to crack with emotion.

“He had become so scared of running — it scared him and it scared me,” Wendy said. “Suddenly, he was back out there and it was like, ‘Wow, mom, I can run the court!’ Before then I wasn’t sure in my heart if he’d ever be capable of that. Now, it just makes me cry to think about it.”

At 276 pounds, Lomers’ primary job is to provide a big body against tough Big 12 opponents for the Bears, who play host to Texas A&M on Saturday.

“He’s a smart player and he’s got some skills down low,” A&M coach Mark Turgeon said of Lomers. “He’s a tough matchup for us at times, so I think it’s an advantage to bring him off the bench.”

Lomers, a junior out of Boerne, plays in spurts for the Bears. He averages 2.8 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.

Baylor coach Scott Drew said he stays aware of Lomers’ asthma because “you see it” on the court after Lomers has lumbered back and forth for a time.

“Even with the medication, it still flares up,” Lomers said of his asthma, which requires daily medication. “It’s something I have to think about every day — it doesn’t just disappear. It’s a lifelong problem, but you get used to it.